[chico20854]

December 23, 1997

POWs at a camp in Exmoor, England wake up to find their camp guards (largely civilians) have fled. Colonel Andrei Zvetayev, the ranking officer, takes stock of the situation and leads the men out of the camp.

The Typhoon-class submarine Barrikada receives what is to be its last launch orders, showering five more missiles on targets (unofficially) in Canada (Air Defense headquarters at North Bay, the Chalk River nuclear power plant and the industrial complex in Hamilton, Ontario), Mexico (the refinery at Ciudad Madero, which was missed in an attack on the 17th) and the US (SAC bases at Griffiss and Plattsburg, New York and Pease AFB, New Hampshire).

Unofficially,

The situation in the Chicago area contiunues to deteriorate a week after Soviet missiles struck targets along the eastern and southern edges of the region. Fires continue to burn their way westward, despite the cold temperatures and the heroic efforts of the fire departments. Rail traffic through the city has been halted as workers refuse to enter the danger zone, paralyzing one of America's largest transportation hubs. The troops of the 49th Armored Division, the primary force responsible for maintaining martial law, is woefully inadequate for the task, its 14,000-some soldiers and fleet of armored vehicles utterly incapable of maintaining power, water and food distribution to the millions of civilians in the area.

The 221st Military Police Brigade (US Army Reserve) embarks on several ships in Honolulu harbor, orderd to return to California to help maintain order there.

Pasdaran guerrillas in Esfahan assassinate a lone Soviet Major, who unwisely decided to take a late evening walk outside the garrison area. To their northwest, the 24th Infantry Division's advance patrols reach the outskirts of Dezful. To their east, the 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment (Light) secures the 24th's eastern flank with a drive northeast from Ramhormoz, keeping the Soviet 4th Army off-balance and unable to intervene to the west.